Various means have been used in the prior art to increase the lethality and range of a cartridge. These prior art devices have generally utilized scored projectile warheads which were fragmentized by an explosion initiated by a delay train a fixed interval of time after expulsion of the projectile or round from the gun muzzle. One of the problems encountered with these prior art devices has been that aerodynamic drag on the fragments has limited their ability to travel a significant distance and still maintain a velocity which is lethal. Another problem with the prior art devices has been the wide dispersal angle of the fragmented shot and their limited probability of a direct hit on an aimed-at target.
The present invention overcomes these problems by permitting a dense cloud of fragments to be sequentially ejected in specific zones along the flight path of the projectile, thus achieving an extended range shot capability.